Michael Fabini indicted for drug trafficking, money laundering

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A series of raids conducted by the FBI in December 2012 has prompted the indictment of three men, including Michael Fabini.  According to court documents, Fabini faces more than 40 charges for his involvement in what appears to be a major marijuana trafficking ring.

NewsChannel 15 has uncovered court documents that detail charges against Michael Fabini related to drug manufacturing, trafficking and unlawful financial transactions.  A total of 44 counts are included in the indictment.

See complete federal indictment

The charges against him include six counts of marijuana trafficking dating back to 2007 and 38 counts of money laundering.

Fabini is accused of spending $224,910.97 in cash received from drug trafficking. He is said to have spent the money in 36 different payments to four different businesses from May 14, 2010 to March 28, 2011.

Court documents also allege:

• Fabini transferred $70,154.99, gained from drug trafficking, from J.P.M. Chase Bank to Star Financial Bank.
• Fabini deposited $15,000, gained from drug trafficking, into a Wells Fargo Bank account of Research Landings, Inc.

A man named Marshall Butler has also been named in three of the charges with Fabini. Butler is charged with three counts of marijuana trafficking.

In one charge, Fabini and Butler are accused of being involved with a property on Antwerp Road in Harlan back in 2008.  NewsChannel 15 discovered the same property had been raided by the Allen County Sheriff's Department on March 6, 2008.

During the 2008 raid, officials seized almost three and a half tons of marijuana, making it the largest marijuana bust in Allen County history. Matthew McChesney was arrested and later sentenced to 27 years for the estimated $6 million bust.

It would appear officials have been trying to link Fabini to the McChesney bust since 2008.

A man named Jamison Gudorf, 40, has also been indicted.  He's charged with having a machine gun not registered to him and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to Allen County tax records, someone with the last name Gudorf owns a property at 10110 Unita Drive on the southwest side of Fort Wayne.  That's the same property the FBI raided in December and removed dozens of rifles.

Gun dealer: FBI raided pricy collection

According the court documents, if Fabini is convicted of any of the counts against him, he would be forced to forfeit his home at 6619 Cherry Hill Parkway, as well as some other equipment.

The Cherry Hill home has had a lot improvements done in recent years. The Allen County assessor's office valued the home at $277,500 in 2009.  But after improvements made under Fabini's ownership, the value ballooned to $675,000 as of May 2012.

Michael Fabini made an initial court appearance on Thursday without an attorney.  A detention/arraignment hearing was scheduled for March 5 at 2:00 p.m. in U.S. District Court.

December Raids

Ten properties were raided over two days in December that were said to be connected to Fabini, including one owned by the accused’s brother, former NFL player Jason Fabini.

Jason Fabini was not named in the indictment. He maintained innocence throughout the raids and following investigations.

Agents were seen removing items, including armfuls of guns, from several of the properties.